, reached
home. The family was in bed, and the house in darkness. The two mates
dropped silently over the fence, and, with the stealthy movements of
cats, clambered through the window of the room which they shared, for
Jonah believed that secrets were kept best by those who had none to
tell.

"Gawd, I'm dry," said Chook, yawning. "I could do a beer."

"That comes of runnin' along the street so 'ard," said Jonah, grinning.
"It must 'ave bin a fire by the way I see yer run. W'y was yer runnin'
so 'ard?" Then his face darkened. "I wonder 'ow the poor bloke feels,
that fell down an' 'urt 'imself?"

"D'ye think 'e knows enough ter give us away?" asked Chook, anxiously.

"No fear," said Jonah. "I make the Ivy Street Push a present of that
little lot."

"Well, I s'pose a sleep's the next best thing," replied Chook, and in a
minute was snoring.

Jonah finished undressing slowly. As he unlaced his boots, he noticed
a dark patch on one toe. It looked as if he had kicked something wet.
He examined the stain without repugnance, and thought of the bricklayer.

"Serve the cow right," he thought. "'Ope it stiffens 'im!"

Again he examined the patch of blood attentively, wondering if it would
leave a mark on his tan boots, of which he was very proud. Dipping a
piece of rag in water, he washed it off carefully. And, as he rubbed,
the whole scenes passed through his brain in rapid succession--the
Angel, bright and alluring with the sinister gleam of its powerful
lamps, the swaying man in the midst of the Push, the wild-beast chase,
and the fallen body that ceased to struggle as they kicked.

He lit a cigarette and stared at the candle, smiling with the pride of
a good workman at the thought of his plan that had worked so neatly.
The Push was secure, and the blame would fall on the Ivy Street gang,
the terror of Darlington. For a moment he regretted the active part he
had taken in the stoushing, as his hunchback made him conspicuous. He
wondered carelessly what had happened after the Push bolted. These
affairs were so uncertain. Sometimes the victim could limp home,
mottled with bruises; just as often he was taken to the hospital in a
cab, and a magistrate was called in to take down his dying words. In
this case the chances were in favour of the victim recovering, as the
Push had been interrupted in dealing it out through Jonah's excessive
caution. Still, they had no intention of killing the man; they merely
w